What to do for one day in Charleston

[pianogirl73]

We are stopping in Charleston for one day on our way to bringing my daughter to school. We have already booked a ghost tour for that night. What should we do during the day? Also, what are some good places to eat? We are planning on getting there by around 10-11 in the morning. Thank you!

 

[Figmentv]

The waterfront area of Charleston is perfect for walking and exploring neighborhoods filled with beautiful historical homes. Visit some of the lovely churches and graveyards. My favorite is the Unitarian Church on King St., its graveyard is purposely left unkempt and left to nature to decorate. The French Huguenot church is also beautiful. The Charleston City Market (also in the waterfront district) is fun to walk through. If you‘re into Civil War history, Ft. Sumter is in Charleston harbor. Boats leave from a couple of different spots on the waterfront to go out to the fort. Really, you could spend all day walking the waterfront.

As for restaurants, oh my where to start. So, so many good restaurants in Charleston. A few of my favorites….Amen St. Fish and Raw Bar, on E. Bay St., Pearlz Oyster Bar, E. Bay St., Halls Chophouse, King St. Eli’s Table, Meeting St., (great breakfasts).

I‘m assuming you’ll be heading there soon. Be warned, late summer is very, very hot and humid in Charleston.

 

[SuperPreparo]

If you’re walking around the waterfront area and like seafood I’d add Fleet Landing to the list of restaurants.

 

[Donald Duck Family]

During the day I would tour Fort Sumter. It involves an interesting and relaxing boat ride to get to and from the fort.

For dinner I would recommend Husk Restaurant.

 

[mikehn]

shrimp and grits , Poogans Porch. The french quarter has some of the most trendy restaurants in town.

 

[laughinplace199]

Ft. Sumter would be good. It's a nice boat ride and then you spend about an hour walking around the fort. Another option is to tour a historical house - we enjoyed the Aiken Rhett house and the Nathaniel Russell house. We also enjoyed a carriage tour, but not sure if they do them when it's really hot. Lots of great restaurants in Charleston. I'll add Magnolias to the list.

 

[Kennywood]

Charleston, WV is a wonderful place to visit.

 

[hhisc16]

We are stopping in Charleston for one day on our way to bringing my daughter to school. We have already booked a ghost tour for that night. What should we do during the day? Also, what are some good places to eat? We are planning on getting there by around 10-11 in the morning. Thank you!

I would recommend eating at Hymans and/or Fleet Landing downtown.
Fleet Landing is on the water on an old Navy loading dock.
Hymans is famous and very old building that is unique food.

I would recommend going to drive around downtown and see Rainbow Row.

We live in SC and visit Charleston often.

 

[shoegal9]

I would wander Bay St. and King St. during the day!

Dessert at Carmella's Cafe on E. Bay St. is my suggestion for a sweet treat

 

[anniemae]

We walked around, went down to the waterfront. Saw dolphins in the water. There is also a beautiful walking path by the water after Rainbow Row. The houses are amazing. We ate at The Griffon pub. It was a hole in the wall type place with dollar bills tacked to the walls. It was fun! Very dark, kind of cave-like. We also got ice cream at Kilwins. We just kind of wandered around with no real plan and wound up having a great day!

 

[nw6675]

We enjoyed a private carriage ride through the historical district. Our ghost tour was just "eh".

We can vouch for many of the restaurants mentioned. Fabulous food in Charleston!

Not that you need a hotel, but if anyone needs a recommendation- the French Quarter Inn is one of our all time favorite hotels anywhere!

 

[disneyseniors]

We are stopping in Charleston for one day on our way to bringing my daughter to school. We have already booked a ghost tour for that night. What should we do during the day? Also, what are some good places to eat? We are planning on getting there by around 10-11 in the morning. Thank you!

We visited Charleston for one long day/evening. We also did a ghost tour which was very disappointing. It was the graveyard tour to a graveyard that is not open to other tour groups. We tripped over the stones and saw absolutely nothing. I wish we had booked the jail one, which is kind of famous. Can't remember what it's called, LOL.
My favorite activity was the horse and carriage ride around old Charleston. A lot of historic information was shared and the houses/mansions were unique.
If you want to tour mansions, we went to Middleton Place which was fun to tour and very informative.
We also toured the only remaining tea plantation in America.
I think we took 2 days for this, so maybe some of this will help.
Whatever you do, it's such a historic and beautiful city.
We went one afternoon to Ft. Sumter (sp?) which involves a boat ride and time to tour. It might take longer than you are wanting to spend a day.
As far as eating out. We rented a condo on the Isle of Palms so ate there most of the time.

 

[StephMK]

I agree with Carmella's, amazing cakes. We like Page's Okra Grill in Mt. Pleasant for a wide variety and everything we've tried has been delicious.

If you are near Folly Beach, the Pineapple Hut has a version of a dole whip.

 

[Kitty 34]

We enjoyed a private carriage ride through the historical district. Our ghost tour was just "eh".

We can vouch for many of the restaurants mentioned. Fabulous food in Charleston!

Not that you need a hotel, but if anyone needs a recommendation- the French Quarter Inn is one of our all time favorite hotels anywhere!

Just spent a few days this spring in Charleston SC.. And yes, yes, yes on the fabulous food choices there and I'm not even a foodie.

 

[Tink3815]

Thinking of visiting in the Fall. Are Uber and Lyft easily available in downtown areas? Car rental prices are crazy.

 

[cheryl.UK]

Just be aware that it can get mighty hot in the summer. We went in late August and it was so hot that we had to call it a day by 12pm. We like heat. We visit Orlando in July and August but Chaleston was something else

 

[Tink3815]

We are planning on visiting for a long weekend this weekend, Staying at a hotel in Mt Pleasant and renting a car from that location to get a better price. Using Uber for airport transportation. Plans are for a carriage tour, Fort Sumter tour, Magnolia Plantations tour and visiting Isle of Palm beach. Any other suggestions or reviews would be appreciated.

 

[anniemae]

We loved touring the USS Yorktown. It was so much fun. It is self-guided and you get to go all over the ship. It was interactive and was such a memorable day.

We are planning on visiting for a long weekend this weekend, Staying at a hotel in Mt Pleasant and renting a car from that location to get a better price. Using Uber for airport transportation. Plans are for a carriage tour, Fort Sumter tour, Magnolia Plantations tour and visiting Isle of Palm beach. Any other suggestions or reviews would be appreciated.